PRUNING
TOOLS-
These tools will handle all the pruning most gardeners will tackle:
Pruning
shears:
Many gardeners take a pair of pruning shears (sometimes called clippers)
with them whenever they head for the garden. There are two basic
types of shears. Bypass shears work like scissors; a convex blade
beveled sharp on one face slides past a blunt "hook" that supports
the stem. On anvil shears a single blade cuts against the center
of a soft metal surface, the anvil, which supports the stem. Bypass
shears make a cleaner cut; anvil shears can handle thicker material.
Loppers:
These heavy-duty pruners are essentially enlarged bypass or anvil
shears with long handles to provide greater leverage. In addition
to cutting heavier material, they're handy for getting at spots
that would scrape your arms if you tried reaching them with shears.
If you're not a strong-arm sort, look for loppers with a ratchet
mechanism; these require less strength to do the same job
Pruning
saw:
A folding pruning saw with a handle and a slightly curved blade,
each about 1 ft. long, is useful for trimming tree limbs and the
heavier woody growth of shrubs and roses. Made of hard steel with
very sharp teeth, these saws last quite a while between sharpening
or blade replacements.
PRUNING
SHRUBS-
A quick look around your town will confirm that there are many,
many different kinds of shrubs, and the range of shapes and sizes
is even greater. We can't begin to provide specific instructions
for pruning them all; even if we could, your particular plants will
always differ in some way from our general examples. When you purchase
a shrub, ask about the specifics of pruning it.
Fortunately,
a relatively small number of general principles and practices serve
a wide variety of plants. We'll discuss these here, but we also
encourage you to seek advice from experienced gardeners. The best
way to learn to prune is to watch an expert work on shrubs like
yours.
When
to prune:
Because dead, damaged, or diseased stems, branches, and shoots are
prime sites for diseases and insects, remove them as soon as possible.
If you're just snipping a healthy stem or branch here or there,
you can do this almost any time. More extensive pruning of healthy
growth is best done at specific times of the year.
For
flowering shrubs, the timing depends on whether the plant blooms
on new or old growth. Spring flowering shrubs, such as forsythia
and lilacs, usually bloom on growth formed the previous year, so
it makes sense to prune them after they bloom. Plants that flower
later, such as potentilla and crape myrtle, bloom on the current
season's growth. Prune them in late winter or early spring. Plants
that bloom more than once are best pruned when they're dormant.
When
flowers aren't a consideration, you have greater flexibility. The
structure of deciduous plants is easiest to see before they leaf
out, so winter or early spring is a good time to prune. Prune in
the spring if you wish to encourage a bushy habit, to stimulate
or direct growth; this allows a full season for the new growth to
develop. Gardeners in cold-winter climates should be wary of pruning
in the fall. Any new growth induced will be more susceptible to
damage from cold, wind, and snow.
